Staying GREEN in Home Cleaning

February 26, 2015

What some people might not take into consideration while doing routine home cleaning and maintenance is the great opportunity to stay GREEN during their housework projects. As awareness grows about the many pollutants included in every-day cleaning aides, more brands of healthy and effective cleaning products have entered the marketplace. These options are non-toxic and biodegradable and are often made from renewable resources.

You can start becoming GREEN clean minded by reducing the use of antibacterial agents. In fact, the FDA has found that the use of such cleansers and soaps do not work more efficiently than soap and water, and can also add to the risk of breeding bacteria that are able to survive the chemical attack. An environmentally conscious alternative for an all-purpose cleaner is vinegar and baking soda. An alternative for those odor eliminating products that contain added toxins is baking soda. This serves as a great product for ridding carpets of unwanted odors as well as strange smells that might be coming from your refrigerator. In addition, rather than the store-bought air fresheners, try boiling cinnamon, cloves or other herbs of your choice.

Another way to be more GREEN conscious in household chores is something as simple as leaving your shoes outside. This allows many unwanted germs from entering your home, which is especially helpful to young children who may spend a good amount of time on the floor. Having a doormat or a shoeless house policy is a great way to leave the toxins at the door. An added bonus to this is tracking in less dirt, which means less sweeping, mopping and vacuuming.

For those who may not have the time to clean their own homes, there is a growing number of GREEN cleaning services becoming available. Whether it’s switching cleaning agents or using natural alternatives to your cleaning or leaving germs outside the home whenever possible, everyone can do their part in staying GREEN in their homes.